Chewing on Bones

[janeah7@gmail_com]

I've always understood that chewing on bones  or even tearing into pieces of animal flesh help strengthen teeth and jaws.  So for dogs that can't do raw (yet) are there any other ideas or suggestions?

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hey Janeah-

Yes, the bigger the better for those pieces of meat. Whole prey, e.g. raw chicken carcasses or Cornish game hens will work well once your pups can tolerate raw.

In the meantime, whole carrots and apples are great for keeping the face and jaw muscles in tip top shape.

In addition, you can often get marrow bones that don't have much (or any) meat on them. Just poke out the marrow if they're not able to tolerate that.

Let's also see what Dr. Christina recommends.

Dr. Jeff

 

[Dr. Christina]

Janeah,

What happens when you feed even a small amount of raw meat?

And, can your dog eat cooked meat?

What are you doing to get her/him to be able to eat a raw meat diet?

If cooked meat is ok, you can feed big hunks of that for the jaws and teeth. Then cook it less and less. Of course, you will want to add some calcium if not feeding edible bones like necks and backs.

I would avoid BIG bones like femurs once the cartilage has been chewed off. In the last decade I have seen some broken teeth on very big, old and dried out bones.

As Dr. Jeff said, big hunks of fresh vegetables can help teeth and jaws, though they will not be very well digested since dogs merely rip and tear, not chew.

 

[Dr. Christina]

Perfect that you are working with Dr. Jeff. Homeopathy can balance the body and keep the teeth clean, sometimes even without feeding raw.

Big chunks of lightly cooked are good, too.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Another chewing idea for your pups Janeah.

Dr. Harvey's <a href="https://www.drharveys.com/products/dogs/401-sweet-potate-r-chews-natural-sweet-potato-treat-for-dogs">Sweet Potater chews</a>.

They're big, promote vigorous chewing, are healthy and are well-tolerated.

Dr. Jeff

 

[hsutopia]

I no longer give my raw-fed dogs recreational (weight-bearing) marrow bones after one of my dogs got a couple slab fractures.  Last year I discovered beef knee caps, which so far are wonderful!  My Goldens can chew on those for about 1/2 hour and it is mostly soft bone or cartilage- they either eat all of it or leave a little bit uneaten, which I then throw away.  I get the ones from Vital Essentials.  It's expensive, but for cleaning their teeth a couple times a month (and making them very happy in the process) it's worth it.

Christine